A New Threat
by MermaidGirl34
Summary: For years, a hidden enemy has watched the Justice League from the shadows, loathing them, and watching villian after villian fall defeated at their feet. He has waited five long years for the chance to strike...and now, he has it. JLU/TT Comics
1. Half a Warning

(A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first really Teen Titan, JLA fic, so cut me some slack okay? Hope you like it!)

High above the earth, sitting in space, the Justice League Watchtower was busy with business as usual. Superheroes of all kinds walked around the floating tower's many stories completing tasks of different kinds. Lunch hour had just ended, and the few heroes who had stuck around to eat and chat with the other superhuman's were slowly leaving the cafeteria. (Except Flash, that is.)

It was a quiet day, (or at least, as quiet as a life could _get _for a large group of superhuman's who's job's never done,) with just one mission in action. Supergirl, Atom, and Fire were rounding up a few supervillians in downtown Metropolis, but beside that, it was calm. No huge catastrophe. No giant superhuman threat. No need for the Justice League. Because of this, most of the superheroes in the tower, (practically Flash,) had taken the time to relax. In fact, _all _the heroes in the tower were taking it easy.

Except one.

J'onn J'onzz, the legendary Martian Manhunter, stood on the Monitor Room platform, monitoring the one and only mission. As he watched Supergirl throw Atomic Skull through a wall, J'onn suddenly realized he was no longer alone. "What do you need, Batman?" J'onn asked aloud, identifying the presence. The shadow beside J'onn moved and a man dressed in an all black uniform with a bat symbol on his chest stepped out. "This isn't right." Batman said, walking up to J'onn and watching Atom sneak into Star Sapphire's ear. "What's not right?" J'onn asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.

Batman narrowed his eyes. "It's to quiet." He said quietly. "Gotham's practically deserted. The cops are all sitting in their offices eating _donuts. _There's only one threat in the whole entire _world_." J'onn tore his eyes away from the screen for a moment look at the Dark Knight. "And you think that because there is not much criminal activity that something more sinister might be at work." He inferred. Batman looked at him. "If there's one thing I learned from being in this business," he said, "it's to question _everything_."

They two very different heroes stood there a moment, watching Fire banter with Killer Frost, but were interrupted by a streak of red cutting in front of them, making their capes billow in the sudden breeze. "Heyguyswhatsup?" Flash said, talking at super speed. "I''-" "Flash." J'onn interrupted. "Slow down. We can't understand you." "Oh, sorry." Flash said, slowing down a little bit, but not much. "Is there anything I can do?" He asked. "Any missions or something? Because I feel like kicking some villainous butt." "If you're so eager to help, I have something you could do Wally." Said a voice behind the speedster.

Flash whirled around to see the two figures of Superman and Wonder Woman hanging in midair behind him. "Hey Supes! Hey Diana! How'sitgoing?" Flash said, running up to them in a blur as they landed. Wonder Woman smiled. "I'm fine Wally. She said. "And Clark's right. If you're so eager to help you might as well do something useful." "Like what?" Flash said eagerly. "Why don't you go help Mr. Terrific with the dishes from lunch?" Superman suggested. Flash looked disappointed. "What?" He whined. "But that's _boring_." "Well, I guess you should get started then, shouldn't you?" Diana said. Flash looked back in forth between Wonder Woman and Superman, as if hoping they would laugh and tell him they were joking, and that he could go beat up Lex Luthor. When neither of them said anything, Flash sighed. "Fine." He said, and took of towards the cafeteria.

"Well that should give us some peace for a few minutes." Superman said. "More like _seconds_…" Diana muttered, but she was smiling. "Clark, Diana." Batman said, giving the Kryptonien and Amazon Princess a nod. "Bruce, J'onn." Clark acknowledged them. Diana smiled in Bruce's direction, and nodded at J'onn. "J'onn and I were just discussing the lack of criminal activity." Bruce said. Clark nodded. "It is kind of nice to take a break, I must say." He said, and Diana nodded in agreement. "That's not what I meant." Batman said. "Don't you think it's a bit odd that it's so quiet? We've _never _had so little threats. What if-" "Oh, Bruce you worry to much." Diana interrupted. "_Relax _for once." "Good luck with getting him to do _that_." Said a voice from beside Batman, and a man with a blonde beard and a bow and arrow approached.

"Hello Ollie." Clark said, and Green Arrow nodded in acknowledgement. "Where's the speedster?" he asked, looking around. Just then, a red streak blurred between the heroes. "Someone say my name?" Flash asked. "What took you so long?" Diana asked, smirking. Flash looked at her. "Oh, you mean with the dishes?" He asked. "I finished that _ages _ago. I had to go check to make sure there were no problems at my house, and my city, come back and eat three tacos, write a speech for the opening for the Flash Museum, and then meet up with you guys. It only took three minutes. Sorry if I kept you guys waiting." He swayed on his heels, smiling around at everyone.

"Sooo…" Clark said, changing the subject. "Do you guys maybe want to-" **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! **Suddenly, the Watchtower was alive with blaring red lights and confused superheroes. The six people in the monitor whirled around to see **INTRUDER ALERT! THIRD FLOOR! **written acrossed the screen. "Everyone!" J'onn said, taking action, and grabbing the Watchtower's announcement mic. "Stay calm! There's a intruder on the third floor! Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Vixen, and Flash, you go check it-" "Look!" Dr. Light shouted, pointing towards the entrance to the third floor, illuminating it with a white light. A yellow cape flashed by. "The intruder!" Yelled Stargirl. "Get him!" All the heroes sprang into action, forgetting J'onn, and running in the general direction Dr. Light had showed the intruder was heading.

"Wait!" Said Batman, eyes widening at the sight of the cape, grabbed the mic, "That might be-" "There he is!" Yelled Vixen. "Someone get him!" There was a flash of white light, and something crashed into a pile of spare parts, knocking them over. Dr. Light, Stargirl, and a few other heroes started to advance, ready to fight, but they were stopped by a booming voice calling "**WAIT!**" They all turned to see Batman thrust the mic back to J'onn, jump off the Monitor Room platform, do a flip, and land in a crouch. He swiftly approached the group of heroes. "Batman what are you doing?" Stargirl asked, looking murderous. "Let's pulverize this little intruder scum into-" "He's no intruder." Batman said, bending down to the fallen trespasser. "Robin." He said. "What are you doing here?"

The intruder groaned and sat up, and everyone saw him clearly for the first time. It was a teenaged boy, badly bruised and bleeding, and not just from his latest collision. He wore a red shirt with an R insignia, a utility belt like Batman's, a yellow cape, and black boots. "Robin?" Wonder Woman said in surprise as she landed beside Bruce. "What are you-" Batman held up his hand to silence her, and looked at Robin, a little bit of concern flashing across his face. "Tim." He asked again. "What happened?" Robin groaned again, and squinted at Batman, as if he had a hard time seeing him. "Batman." He moaned. "We need help. He defeated us all, captured us. I managed to escape, Raven transported me here, but it's bad Bruce, it's really bad. I—**AHHHHHH!" **Robin's sentenced was cut off as his body suddenly enveloped in a flurry of electricity. "Robin!" Batman yelled, as Tim fell to the ground, smoking and unconscious.

"_Naughty, naughty, Robin!" _A voice boomed suddenly out of nowhere, sounding as if it was coming from everywhere at once. _"Don't go running off and tattle-tailing on the Justice League just yet! Besides, I need all fourteen of you to complete my collection, and thirteen is SUCH and unlucky number…"_ There was a flash of gold light, and a giant portal opened up behind Robin. Before anyone had fully registered what was happening, a gloved hand came through the portal, and grabbed the back of the unconscious Robin's collar.** "NO!" **Batman yelled, diving after Tim, but before he reached him, the portal closed, taking Robin and whoever the hand belonged to with it. An echoing laughter filled the tower for a few moments, and then faded away.

Batman stayed there, kneeling by where Tim had been, hands clenched in fists, and eyes reduced to slits, staring at where the portal closed. Diana put a hand on his shoulder, and the other heroes just looked shocked. "Someone didn't want Robin to tell us something." Clark said quietly, breaking the tense silence and shock in the circle of heroes. "Yes." Batman said slowly, eyes narrowing even further. "But the question is, _**who**_**?"**

(A/N: So how was that? Not bad I hope? Please tell me by pressing that lovely little review button sown there…)


	2. Fourteen Missing Heroes

(A/N: Ok, I thought I should get this chapter done while it was still fresh in my mind, so here it is! Enjoy!)

Batman stood and turned to face the gaggle of muttering superhumans, his face stony and expressionless. "The seven founding heroes." He said. "Meeting. Conference Room. _Now._" And with that, he strode off in the direction of the conference room, soon followed by Superman, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Flash, Green Lantern, and Hawkgirl.

Once inside, Batman slammed the door shut and bolted it, before sitting down in his personal chair around the table. "We need to find out who did this." He said flatly to the heroes. "You mean find out who kidnapped Robin, right?" Flash asked. "I think that's the major idea, Wally." Hawkgirl said. "But how are we going to find him?" Wonder Woman asked. "Robin was electrocuted before he could tell us who attacked him." "Attacked _them_." Batman corrected her quietly. Diana looked at him. "Excuse me?" She asked. "Tim wasn't the only one who was attacked." Batman said, leaning forward in his seat. "Robin said 'us' when he tried to warn us, and he said 'Raven' transported him here. Raven is one of the Teen Titans."

There was a long silence. "Sooo you think that whoever kidnapped Robin attacked the Teen Titans?" Superman asked finally. "It makes sense." Batman said. "Tim was staying with them for the weekend. Not to mention he said 'he defeated and captured us.' That certainly looks like he was referring to the Titans." "Wait a minute." Hawkgirl interrupted. "You keep saying 'he' kidnapped Robin. How do you know the captor is a guy?" They all looked at her. "What?" She said defensively. "They could be a girl!" "The voice was heard was defiantly a male." GL pointed out to her. "Speaking of which, did anyone recognize the kidnappers voice?" Everyone shook his or her head.

"We might be dealing with a new enemy here." Batman said slowly. "And we need to be prepared. We have to find out who this captor is, and see if he poses a serious threat." "So what are we going to do?" Wonder Woman asked. "We'll start with what we have." Superman said, standing. "GL, Hawkgirl, and Flash, you come with me to check out Titan Tower. Batman, J'onn, and Diana you stay-" "No." Batman interrupted. Superman looked at him. "Excuse me?" He asked. "I'm not staying here." Bruce said firmly. "You can take anyone else you want, but I'm going to check out Titan Tower. It was _my _partner that was kidnapped, and therefore it's _my _responsibility to find his captor. You guys can do what you want." He stood up. "I'll meet anyone willing to join me and searching the T tower in the Monitor Room in five minutes." And with that, he left the Conference Room.

Clark starred after him for a long moment. "Um, okay then." He said finally. 'Why don't Flash, GL, and Wonder Woman join Batman, and J'onn, Hawkgirl, and I stay here and make sure no more intruders and uninvited portals get in the Watchtower. Okay?" Everyone nodded, and left to prepare for their assignments. Soon, Batman, Wonder Woman, GL, and Flash stood on the transport pads, and Superman, Hawkgirl, and J'onn took over in the Monitor Room, shortly joined by Green Arrow. Then the four leaguers on the pads disappeared, appearing like magic on a small island in San Fran, with the looming form of the TT's headquarters: Titan Tower.

A tower that was in _ruins. _

The four heroes looked around in dismay at the chaos. Trampled flowerbeds of alien plants and smoking mechanical parts lay everywhere. The "T" tower was now more of a lower case "L." The whole island looked like a bomb had hit it. (Which was entirely possible.)

While Flash took off in search of survivors, GL scanned the wreckage with his ring. "The ring can't detect what did this." He reported. "Did you find anything Batman?" He turned to see the Dark Knight bent down next to what looked like a ruined TV, studying it. "Whatever did this was either extremely high-tech technology," Bruce said slowly, "or an immensely powerful something else." " 'Something else'?" Wonder Woman asked, examining a broken refrigerator. "Like what? Magic? Metahumans? Aliens? Mutants? What?" "That's just it." Batman said. "I can't tell. A different weapon or power seems to have been used on every individual object. I can't pinpoint an exact source." GL smiled, raising his ring hand in a menacing way. "I guess we'll just have to do it the _hard_ way then." He said slyly.

At that moment, Flash returned in a red blur. "Um, guys." He said. "I think you should come see this…" He took off towards the right, soon followed by the flying forms of GL and Wonder Woman, who carried Batman. They landed next to Flash, who was standing in the middle of what looked like a bloody battlefield.

And stern acrossed it where six lifeless figures.

Acting quickly, Green Lantern scanned the bodies with his ring. "Their alive." He said. "But barely." He produced a giant green bubble around them, and brought them over. It was only then that the four saw them clearly for the first time.

And they recognized them.

Lying unconscious in front of them was Starfire, Beast Boy, Kid Devil, Raven, Bumblebee, and Cyborg. All members of the Teen Titans.

Batman narrowed his eyes, and the others simply gaped at them. "But Robin said all the Titans were captured!" Wonder Woman exclaimed. "This doesn't make any sense." Flash said, shaking his head. "Yes it does." Batman said. They all looked at him in suprise. "What?" GL said. Batman stood up. "I think I know what's going on." He said. Then, putting his hand to his ear, he said through his JL communicator, "J'onn, transport us back." _"Did you find anything?" _J'onn asked through the earpiece. "Yes." Batman said, and after a moment, the four heroes along with the six unconscious Titans were whisked back to the Watchtower.

"GL, put those six in the Hospital Ward." Batman ordered, as soon as they arrived. Then he strode over to the Monitor Room with Wonder Woman and Flash close behind. He was met by Superman, J'onn, Hawkgirl, and Green Arrow almost immediately. "What's going on?" Superman demanded. "Why do you have six of the Titans here?" Wonder Woman quickly explained what happened, while Batman strode over to the computer, and started typing madly. Soon the others joined him, followed by GL. "Do you have any idea why those Titans weren't taken Bruce?" J'onn asked, once they had been filled in. "When Robin was electrocuted, the captor said 'I need all fourteen to complete my collection.'" Batman said, not taking his eyes off the screen. "And there's less than fourteen heroes missing from the Titans. But there's fourteen kid heroes," he said, clicking one more button, and a diagram appeared on the screen, "with connections with the Justice League." He finished.

The heroes starred at the screen and gasped. The diagram on it read:

**Batman- **Nightwing

Batgirl

Robin

**Superman**- Supergirl

Superboy

**Wonder Woman-** Wondergirl

**Flash-** Kid Flash

**Green Arrow- **Speedy

Red Arrow

**Martian Manhunter-**Miss Martian

**Aquaman-** Aqualad

Captain Marvel-Mary Marvel

**S.T.R.I.P.E-** Stargirl

"Kara…" Superman breathed, before rushing over to the command station. "Kara!" He yelled, turning it on, and trying to contact his cousin, who was still out on a mission. "Supergirl, do you read me?"

But static was his only reply. Frantic now, Superman tried to contact Atom and Fire, who had been on the same mission a Supergirl. After a few moments of calling, Atom answered. _"Superman!" _His voice said through the communicator. _"Supergirl's gone! Fire and I were hit from behind, and when we woke up, she was no where to be seen!" _"No…" Clark moaned. J'onn checked Kara's tracker. "Her trackers offline." He said, turning to Batman. "I fear that you are right."

"Let's not jump to conclusions-" Diana started, but Flash interrupted. "Hey!" He said, pointing to the diagram on the computer. "This is only thirteen heroes!" Everyone turned back to the diagram. "I know." Batman said. "But I think I know who the fourteenth is, I'm just not sure." "Who?" GL asked. Batman didn't answer. Instead, he hit a few more keys, and another line was added to the diagram.

**Deathstroke-**Ravager

"Deathstroke?" Flash exclaimed. "Ravager? You have _got _to be kidding me!" "We didn't find Ravager along with the other six Titans that aren't connected to the League." Batman pointed out. Just then, something in his utility belt beeped. Whipping it out lightning fast, Bruce said, "Batman here. What is it?" _"Batman, thank GOD you picked up!" _Came a girls voice through the Bat-communicator. Batman narrowed his eyes. "What do you need, Barbara?" He asked. _"Everyone's gone missing!" _Oracle's voice said._ "First Tim's communicator and tracker went off line a few hours ago, but I wasn't too worried, because I know he was with the Titans. But now Dick's and Cassandra's are off too! Their all missing Bruce!" _She sounded strained and worried. Batman looked grim. "I'll work on it, Oracle. Batman out." He said, and put the communicator back in his belt.

Without saying a word, Batman got up, and walked to the edge of the Monitor Room. "S.T.R.I.P.E!" He called. S.T.R.I.P.E, whirling around from where he had been chatting with Black Canary, called back, "Yes Batman?" "Where's Stargirl?" Batman asked. S.T.R.I.P.E shook his head. "Haven't seen her." He said. "Why?" But Bruce didn't answer him. Instead, he turned back, and checked Stargirl's communicator and tracker. Both were offline. Batman turned to the other heroes, his face grimmer then ever. He started to say something, but J'onn interrupted. "Wait." The Martian said from the command table. "I'm getting an incoming call." All the heroes crowded around him, their faces hopeful. The screen read: **Captain Marvel. **

"Captain Marvel?" Flash said. "But I though he wasn't-" "Shhhh!" Wonder Woman hissed, as J'onn answered the call. **"**_J'onn!" _Captain Marvel's voice came through the communicator. _"I need-" _"You are aware that you are no longer a part of the Justice League." J'onn said coolly. _"I know, I know!" _Captain Marvel said, sounding frantic. _"But it's important! My sister, Mary Marvel, is missing! She said she was going to go help clean up an oil leek in Metropolis, but she never came back. Both her comlink and tracker is offline, and I don't know what to do!" _J'onn looked grim. "We'll see what we can do." He said to Captain Marvel, and cut the connection.

All the heroes sat in a stunned silence. "Whoever this villain is," Bruce said quietly, breaking the strained silence. "He's obviously trying to get our attention." "And he succeeded!" Ollie said, cracking his knuckles. "But what are we going to do?" Wonder Woman asked in anguish, voicing the thought they were all thinking. "Contact Aquaman and tell him the situation." Batman said, taking control, and then, turning to the screen and starring at the last line on the diagram added, "We're going to have a meeting with Deathstroke."

(A/N: So how was that? Hopefully not bad? A little longer than the first chapter? Suspenseful? I hope so! Sorry if the timeline is a bit edgy, but I had to do it for the stake of the story. Please review, okay?)


	3. A Meeting With Deathstroke

(A/N: Hey! Alright, here's the third chapter! So for those of you who want to see how Deathstroke is gonna take this, here you go! Enjoy!)

A few hours later, after Aquaman had arrived, (furious about the news, and very ready to find who kidnapped Aqualad, and bash his brains out,) plus a worried Captain Marvel and S.T.R.I.K.E, the nine distressed heroes discussed their options.

"First, we need to get information." Superman said. "And since there is only one person who has also had a loved one kidnapped in this case who isn't here, we're going to pay a visit to him first." "You mean Deathstroke?" S.T.R.I.K.E asked. "Exactly." Batman said grimly. "I say we go now, and threaten to run him through if he doesn't tell us what he knows!" Aquaman declared, waving his hook as if he was already slaughtering the villain. "We will do nothing of the sort!" Wonder Woman exclaimed. "We're going to do this peacefully. Besides, it isn't Deathstroke who's the enemy here. He's in the same boat as us, so to speak. His daughter's been kidnapped."

"Diana's right." Superman said. "We need to deal with this rationally." Aquaman narrowed his eyes, obviously disagreeing, but he said nothing. There was a long silence, broken by Flash. "Do we even know where Deathstroke is?" He asked. "That is exactly what I am working on Flash." Came J'onn's voice from above them in the monitor room. "In fact, I believe I have almost located him." There was a short pause, then "His hideout is currently in a abandoned warehouse in downtown San Francisco."

"Awesome!" Flash exclaimed, running up to J'onn in a reddish blur. "How'd you figure that out so fast?" "Easy." The green Martian answered. "It took me a couple of minutes to find him, but I was able to pinpoint his thoughts with my telepathy, and find his location." "You searched the minds of everyone in San Fran?" Flash asked in wonderment. J'onn looked at him. "As you people say on earth, 'it was nothing.'" Flash grinned. "We're ready Superman." J'onn called down to the Man of Steel. "Good." Clark answered, before turning to the others and adding, "let's get this over with." Together, the nine heroes walked over to the transport pads. In one quick moment, they we're beamed up in a blue flash, before reappearing on top of what looked like the remains of a building.

Captain Marvel screwed up his nose. "_This _is Deathstroke's hideout?" He asked in disgust. "Well, one things for sure." Flash muttered, holding his nose at the horrible stench the building created. "_I _would never think to look for a dangerous villain _here_." "C'mon." Batman said, moving to the edge of the structure, and jumping off. "Show off." Flash murmured, running up to the edge to see Batman hanging from a batline in the shadows, watching through a cracked window, eyes narrowed. The others soon joined, peering through the window in to the room beyond.

Inside, two of Deathstroke's robot goons were piling what looked like rubble in a corner of the building. Flash's eyes widened. "That's wreckage from Titan Tower!" He exclaimed, pointing out three communicators in the rubble with a T on them. S.T.R.I.K.E looked confused. "What would Deathstroke want with a bunch of-" "Well, well, well. What _do _we have here?" A greasy voice interrupted from above. The nine heroes faces whipped upwards to see a man, dressed in blue and orange clothing with a half-black, half-gold, one-eyed mask looming above them. Pointing a big, loaded M60 into their faces. "What brings the Justice League to my doorstep?" Deathstroke asked curiously

Immediately, before Superman could remind him that they were supposed to do this peacefully, Batman had extracted three Batarangs from his utility belt, and threw them straight at Deathstroke's gun. But before the sharp black weapons could make contact, Deathstroke expertly swiveled out of the way. The Batarangs clanged harmlessly on the roof behind him. "So predictable, Batman." Deathstroke mocked. "I've been fighting your Boy Wonders long enough to know your techniques." He cocked his gun, and aimed it straight at the Dark Knight's face.

But just as he pulled the trigger, a red and blue blur streaked in front of Batman. "Were not here to fight, Deathstroke." Superman said, the bullet glancing harmlessly off his chest. "Oh?" Deathstroke asked innocently, re-cocking his gun, and keeping it at the ready, even though it had no effect on the Man of Steel. "The Caped Crusader over there wasn't making that very clear." "We just want to talk." Wonder Woman said, flying up and landing on the roof, soon followed by the others. "Talk, eh?" Deathstroke repeated, still sounding ill at ease, despite his cocked gun. "About what?"

"About the missing Titans, that's what." Aquaman growled. "The missing Titans?" Deathstroke said, mildly interested now. "And what would I know on the matter?" Then, cocking his head ever so slightly added, "and why should I care?" "Well, considering you have a bunch of the evidence from the Titan Tower, I take it you _do _care." Flash accused. Deathstroke shrugged. "Always good to keep up with the enemy." He said, and fastening his one eye on Batman, added, "As you very well know." "But that's not why you care." Batman said, unfazed by Deathstroke's icy gaze. "You care because you're daughter, Ravager, is one of the kidnapped." At this, Deathstroke stiffened, and his eye narrowed.

"Alright." He said, throwing up his arms as if defeated. "You got me there. But what do you want from me? You don't think I would kidnap my own daughter?" "Well-" "No." Superman interrupted Flash, stepping forward. "But you want to know who kidnapped Ravager and the other Titans just as much as we do. What do you know?"

"So that's what this is about." Deathstroke said quietly, watching Superman thoughtfully now. "You're stuck. You don't know who kidnapped the Titans, and you decided to crawl to me, begging for information instead of finding it out yourself." "Now see here, we aren't-" Flash erupted, as Batman's arm started to reach for his utility belt, and Aquaman raised his hook. "Stop!" Wonder Woman stopping the three enraged heroes from charging. "Were doing this peacefully, remember?" "Try telling _him_ that…" Flash muttered, watching the chuckling Deathstroke with utter loathing.

"You really expect me to tell what I've learned to _you_?" Deathstroke said, once he stopped laughing. "I don't think so." "Were not giving you a choice here, Deathstroke." Superman growled. "Either tell us what you know, or J'onn will pluck it from your mind. Which I can assure you can be quite painful if he wants it to be." Deathstroke glanced quickly at the green Martian at this, who had crossed his arms, eyes glowing. "And if I tell you?" Deathstroke asked. "Then what? What's in it for me?" "Nothing." Batman growled. "Except getting you're $# carted off to jail." Deathstroke narrowed his eye. "I don't think so." He said, his voice dangerously low. "I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you what I know, and in return, you tell me what you know. Deal?" Superman hesitated before nodding. "Deal." He said. "Now tell us what you know."

"Fine." Deathstroke said. "But you tell me what you know first." So they did. They told him about Robin's warning, their trip to Titan Tower, and then how Batman found out the connection between the Justice League and the missing heroes, which led them to him. "Interesting." Deathstroke murmured when they finished. "_Very _interesting…" "Now it's your turn." Batman growled. "What do _you _know?" "

"To do that, I'll have to tell you the story from the beginning." Deathstroke said quietly. "It'll all started when my monitors started going off, alerting me that something was going on at Titan Tower. I always keep tabs on it, to see how much information they have on finding my hideout, what they know of my plans...and how Rose is. But this time, when I turned on my screen to take a look at the scene, all there was to see was wreckage. The only clue I could see of what had happened was that odd blue smoke was steaming off most of the wreckage, and a blue circle disappearing in the sky. A portal, most likely. So naturally, I went straight over, and only found six Titans. None of which were Rose. So I ordered my robots to bring as much rubble back to my hideout for examination, while I searched some hunches on who the kidnapper might be."

"That's it?" Flash erupted. "That's not worth #$%!" "I wasn't finished, Flash." Deathstroke said calmly. "Surely your time with the Titans has showed you I'm _much _better at detective work than that." This set Flash off even more, but Diana withstrained him from charging. "After all my hunches proved false, I returned to my lair." Deathstroke continued. "There, I started studying the wreckage my minions brought in. But before I could get really into this, however, one of my minions returned with some rather distressing news. A device I had been trying to steal had already been stolen." He stopped to let this sink in. "What sort of device?" Superman asked slowly. "A prototype." Deathstroke said. "From Waynetech." This caused Batman's eyes to reduce to slits, and earning him a few surprised glances.

"What prototype?" Batman growled. "A new weapon of some sort." Deathstroke answered. "It was stopped halfway through production, and never released to the public. Along with several others, though I have yet to find out why. I have studied this particular weapon for some time, from stolen blueprints that I stole right from under Mr. Wayne's nose. The prototype seems to leave a specific mark on everything it destroys." His eye narrowed. "A mark that I found on some of the wreckage from the tower."

The heroes looked shocked, and Bruce was getting more than a few glances now. "Show us." Batman demanded. Deathstroke nodded slightly, and turned to a robot, which had been hidden in the shadows, and whispered something. It immediately disappeared into the building, and then returned with what looked like a slightly demolished speaker. Setting it down in front of Deathstroke, the assassin pointed towards a part on the speaker that seemed to have been burnt away. "Observe." He said.

The nine of them all crowded in to get a good look at the amp. The edges of the burnt metal, where the speaker had been hit, formed a distinct pattern that looked like the shape of flower. None of the others heroes recognized it, but Batman did. His eyes still slits, he set his jaw. There was no doubt about it. The mark was made by the Waynetech prototype Deathstroke had described. Batman was positive.

The look on his face told the others his conclusion. Superman gave Bruce a look that said, "We need to talk,"and Batman nodded. "Well, you got what you came for." Deathstroke said, his voice icily calm now. "If you would so kindly leave, I would be most obliged." "Now see here, if you thought we were going to let you go-" "No, Aquaman." Superman said, stopping the sea king with his arm. "It's not worth it. Not now. The Titans need us more." Then, narrowing his eyes at Deathstroke, he added, "We might be seeing you more, in the near future. Keep your eye open." And with that, the nine Justice Leaguers flew off. "And Superman has left the building." Deathstroke muttered, as he turned back to his hideout.

(A/N: Alright, I know it's a bit of a cliff hanger, and you all want to know what Batman has to say about the stolen prototype, but you're gonna have to wait for the next chapter! XD I hope you enjoyed it, and want to keep reading, because the next chapter is coming soon. And in this one, the kidnapper is finally REVEALED! So keep a look out for the next chap, and please review!)


	4. Kidnapper: Identified

(A/N: Here it is. The chapter you've all been waiting for. The chapter where the new threat is finally brought to light…and his power is finally realized! Alright, I won't keep you waiting any longer. Enjoy!)

The moment the group of heroes reached the Watchtower, Batman was bombarded questions. "What did Deathstroke _mean _about a stolen Waynetech prototype?" "Since when has Waynetech been making _weapons of mass destruction_?" "If that weapon hurt Speedy, I swear I'm going to-" "ENOUGH!" Superman bellowed, and everyone shut up pretty fast. "I know everyone is confused, and wants some answers." Clark said. "And believe me-" He said, fixing his eyes on Bruce, "Batman is going to explain. But shouting at him isn't helping." Addressing Batman, he asked. "Should we take this to the Conference Room?" "Lets." Batman said, striding off towards the room at a very fast pace, triggering everyone else to follow.

Soon, everyone had squeezed themselves into the Conference Room, and had found a place to either sit or stand. All eyes were trained unblinkingly on Bruce. Only then, did Superman ask Batman the question they all wanted to know. "What was this prototype that Slade mentioned?" Clark asked quietly. There was dead silence. Everyone was waiting for Bruce's response.

Batman closed his eyes, and sighed. "The prototype is a gun." He said. "A _vaporizing _gun, that leaves a peculiar mark, as Deathstroke pointed out. It was created by a man by the name of Carter Base, and employee of mine, recommended to me by Lucius Fox a couple of years ago." "Lucius Fox?" Diana interrupted, surprised. "But isn't he the man who creates most of your weapons?" Batman nodded. "Let me finish." He said, before Diana could say more. "Carter was a poor man. Practically living on the streets. His wife had died of lung cancer a while ago, and he had his hands full trying to care for his only daughter, Chartreuse. He was unemployed, and on the verge of losing his house." Bruce said.

"But he was a genius. Carter could make anything out of practically nothing. He was a living MacGyver, as Lucius put it. He had just simply not been discovered yet. Lucius met him at the Grocery Store one day, while Carter was using the little money he had to buy food for him and his daughter. They engaged in a friendly conversation, and Lucius soon came to realize just how smart the man was. So he talked to me, and convinced me to schedule an interview with him for a job." Batman paused, as if remembering the meeting. "He was very eager for the position." He said slowly. "And it seemed that the only thing he wanted was to make a better life for his daughter. Of course, I couldn't object. He had an amazing talent for the exact type of work that Waynetech needed, and he needed the money desperately. So I agreed, and we put him in Lucius's department the following day. He did well, from what I saw, making and sort of electronic better than I had every seen. I gave Lucius full responsibility of him, and our business soared."

"But," Bruce paused, his facing darkening. "Lucius couldn't be with him at all times. Soon, Carter started creating things _beyond _what he was supposed to. He started making high-tech, incredibly dangerous weapons of his own design. Guns, bombs, grenades, and things of mass destruction. They made it only as far as the prototype stage before I discovered what he had been doing. I immediately took them out of production, and ordered Carter to stop. But he didn't. He kept making them, more and more dangerous and destructive, until I had no choice but to fire him." Bruce closed his eyes, and sighed. "I never heard from him again. After he lost his job, he soon became bankrupt, and he losed his house. No longer able to care for his daughter, he was forced to give her up to the state, and she was moved to an orphanage. Then he disappeared, and no one has seen or heard from him in Gotham since." He finished his little story, and it was followed by silence.

"Why didn't you have the weapons destroyed after you fired Carter?" Clark asked finally. Batman narrowed his eyes. "That's what I don't get." He said quietly. "I did. At least, I _thought _I did. I gave the blueprints of the weapons to Lucius after I fired Carter, and told him to destroy them, and the weapons themselves. But…Slade said he 'stole the blueprints right from under my nose.' So I wonder…" He reached into his utility belt, and fished out his Bat-communicator. He hit a hidden switch on the side, and it immediately changed into what looked like an iPhone. "Cool!" Flash exclaimed, racing over to him, and observing it. "I want one!"

Batman ignored him, and hit a name on his contact list, before putting the phone to his ear. There was a pause then Batman said "Lucius? Yes it's Bruce. I have a quick question for you. You remember those prototypes that Carter Base created?" There was another pause, then, "Great. Did you destroy them and the blueprints like I asked?" Another pause, and Batman's face turned grave. "No, Lucius, it's not your fault. Thanks. Bye." He hit a button, turned off the phone, and put it back in his belt, his face dark. "Lucius said that I never told him to destroy them, and he thought I had the blueprints." He said gravely. "Deathstroke." Aquaman growled. Batman nodded. "He must have impersonated Lucius, or hired someone to, to steal the blueprints." He said.

"But that still doesn't get us anywhere." Wonder Woman exclaimed. "We're not any closer to finding out _who _the kidnapper is than _before_!" "Not necessarily, Diana." Batman said in a tone that suggested his detective mind was at work. "We narrowed are suspects down quite a bit." S.T.R.I.K.E looked confused. "How?" He asked. "Only three people knew that the weapons existed." Bruce said quietly. "Lucius, Deathstroke, and Carter himself." "And you." Ollie pointed out accusingly. "Yes." Batman said, unfazed. "And me. Which narrows it down to four. I know for a fact I didn't steal them, and I know from how surprised Lucius was on the phone that he didn't. Deathstroke, we've already found, didn't steal them. Which leaves only one option."

"Carter Base." Superman said gravely.

**(A/N: Dun dun dun! Short chapter, I know, but it was necessary. Yes, I know that Carter Base isn't anybody you know. And trust me, the villain he is now isn't either. But I created him because I wanted to have a **_**new **_**villain for this story, and I wanted someone who would notice that he could get at the Justice League by kidnapping their younger-hero loved ones. Some how, Luthor or Riddler didn't seem the type. Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Soon, very soon, the League will have their first encounter with there new enemy the-! Oh, I can't tell you that yet. You have to keep reading to find **_**that **_**out! PLEASE REVIEW SO I KNOW TO CONTINUE!)**


	5. The Power of the Opposing Side

(A/N: All righty! I'm back! Sooo sorry it took so long to update. Between all my stories, and school, I've been pretty darn busy. Anyway, I wanted to thank each and every one of my readers. Every single person who ever favorited, alerted, read, or reviewed this story. Because of you guys, I have the most popular story in this whole archive! Special special thanks to the fourteen of you who have given me all of my reviews thus far. You guys are great! All right, on with the story!)

Batman sat crouched on the roof of Wayne Tower, his long black cape billowing endlessly in Gotham's chilly evening breeze. It was only eleven o'clock PM, but that was relatively early for the Dark Knight detective. But unlike most nights of the Caped Crusaders endless fight for justice, he was at a roadblock.

Bruce had spent countless hours of the past three days scrounging for information. Ever since the moment the meeting at the Watchtower had ended, he had zeta beamed out and covered every single possible place that could maybe have a connection to the kidnapping of his sons and partner, as well as his teammate's relatives and sidekicks. He combed through Cadmus, Gotham City, Wayne Tower, Metropolis, Lexcorp, Star City, Central City, and most of San Francisco, searching for the faintest scrap of a clue that any of them might hold. The rest of the founders of the League were doing the same, as well as many of their other numbers. But they had all agreed that Batman was the best for the job, and the most sure to find anything of use. They had agreed upon a meeting time three days from then to adjourn at the Watchtower and report their findings, and then the founding members, (with Aquaman, Captain Marvel, Green Arrow and S.T.R.I.K.E as well,) would decide on a plan of action.

Batman hadn't slept at all for those past three days.

The meeting was only an hour or so away. And so far, Bruce hadn't found near as much information as he wanted. But he had found some. And despite the lack of evidence, Batman had a faint idea of what they might be up against. Though, unfortunately, he still had no idea where the enemy was hiding.

Eyes narrowed, Bruce put a gloved finger up to the side of his cowl that protected his ear. "Time." He said roughly. "11:15 PM." A robotic voice answered in Batman's cowl. Bruce made the calculations rapidly in his head. He had exactly an hour an fifteen minutes before he was due at the Watchtower.

Just enough time to make one last visit.

Without hesitating, Batman stood to his full height and jumped off the building.

**WHOOOSH! **A blur or red and yellow sped into the Conference Room exactly thirty-three seconds before the meeting inside began. In the second that it took for the clock to change from 12:29 to 12:30, and the time it took Wonder Woman to blink, Flash was in his seat, feet propped up lazily on the Conference table, his usual grin plastered to his face.

"What's up guys?" He asked. "The ceiling." Aquaman said roughly, clearly unamused "And do you mind showing at least a _little _seriousness? I do not believe that this is a very funny matter." Wally frowned, but took his feet off the table. Suddenly his face flashed into one of seriousness, and not just to spite Arthur either. "Did any of you guys find anything?" He asked, as all the heroes who were milling about a minute before took their seats. There was an edge of worry in his voice. "Because I found zilch."

"I don't think there was much to find." Superman admitted, twiddling his fingers uncertainly. "I took a closer inspection of the rubble of Titan Tower, but I didn't find any trace of Kryptonite at all. I have no idea how this Carter Base guy managed to pin down Connor, or Kara for that matter. Every other place I checked came up blank. What about you Diana?"

The Amazon Princess shook her head. "I too did not find anything." She said forlornly. "Cassie's mother hasn't seen or heard anything, and there didn't seem to be any message at all from her at the tower or her house. All I know it must have taken much force to bring her down. She is not one to be defeated easily."

"He might have had the element of surprise on his hands." S.T.R.I.K.E pointed out. "The Titans didn't know he was coming, and they don't have any defenses up for this particular villain, since we've never heard of him before."

Diana nodded. "Good point, S.T.R.I.K.E." She said. "There is a good chance that all of the Titans went down merely because they were caught off guard."

Captain Marvel bit his lip. "But what about the other heroes?" He asked. "The ones that weren't kidnapped while in a group? Like my sister. How did this Carter Base guy get her?"

"I don't know." Clark said quietly. The Kryptonian sounded tired and hopeless. "I don't think any of us know, which puts us even more on the defensive side, and not the offensive. I take it you didn't find anything?"

Captain Marvel shook his head sadly. "I found evidence of a struggle, and some wreckage, but nothing that I could decipher."

"What about witnesses?" J'onn asked. "Did any pedestrians see the kidnapper?" Captain Marvel shook his head again. "Too much smoke, apparently." He said. "Though someone did say the smoke was _blue_…"

"This Waynetech prototype no doubt." Aquaman growled. "Like you said Deathstroke mentioned. It produces blue smoke." Hawkgirl looked at the Atlantean curiously. "What about you?" She asked. "Was their anything under the sea that might help?" Aquaman shook his head. "For once, the ocean has failed me." He said. "I have found nothing."

"We haven't found anything either." Hawkgirl said, frowning as she glanced at GL. The two of them didn't have any personal stakes in this, but being founding members, they insisted on joining the search. "The Guardians claim to know nothing, and refuse to interfere with such an 'inconvenient earth occurrence' as they put it." John sighed. "It's stupid, but they won't budge."

"I've got nothing." Green Arrow said plainly, speaking up for the first time. "Zilch. Zero. Nada."

"Same." S.T.R.I.K.E added.

Superman turned to the Martian Manhunter sadly. "What about you, J'onn? Find anything?"

"I have, unfortunately, nothing to report." J'onn said quietly. "I tried searching the minds of the people of San Francisco to see if they knew anything about the kidnapping, but I was unable to extract any information before I was overwhelmed by the voices."

Stony silence filled the room as the Martian finished his report. Then all eyes turned to the Dark Knight, the only one who had yet to speak in the whole room. "Did you find anything Batman?" Superman asked, a slight edge of hopefulness creeping into his voice, but also one of worry at what the answer might be. For if Batman could not find anything, then truly everything was lost.

Bruce's face betrayed nothing as he sat silently in front of the team. "Yes." He said, the signal word causing everyone's face to light up simultaneously. Flash gawked at him. "You're unbelievable." He muttered. "I couldn't find a thing!"

"What did you find?" Ollie asked eagerly.

"Not much." Batman said truthfully, he eyes narrowing. "As you all found out, there is very little left to find. But I did notice quite a few things."

From inside his cape, he produced a stack of papers. "These are all the records Waynetech and the State have on Carter Base." He said. "Birth certificate, credit card number, even grocery store receipts. Most of it is standard, unhelpful. But some of it hints at what we're looking for." Effortlessly, Bruce separated one of the papers from the stack. "This is a list of every invention that Base created, authorized and unauthorized, plus all of the things he's ever worked on while he was an employee at Waynetech." Batmen placed the paper down gently on the table, separate from the stack. "I knew most of them." He said slowly. "But not one of them."

He pointed to a collection of words written in bold near the bottom of the page, circled in bright red Sharpe. The team gathered around, craning their necks to read the circled words.

**Military Enforcement Weapon Suit**

"'Military Enforcement Weapon Suit'?" GL echoed.

"That don't sound good…" Flash murmured.

"It's not." Batman said. "The Military Enforcement Weapon Suit was a project of Waynetech's awhile ago. It was a contract we had with the U.S Government. We were supposed to make this new super-soldier suit, complete with weapon machinery, bulletproofing, etcetera. Unfortunately, we became behind schedule on it, from lack of materials and funding. We came up with the blueprints and plans, but never made an actual full-scale prototype, only some scale models. The military stopped supporting us, and gave the contract to Lexcorp instead."

Batman narrowed his eyes. "This was after Luthor was owner. Mercy was in control, and she used Lex's blueprints for his super suit, the one he used against you, Superman, to complete the contract."

The Man of Steel scowled at this. "Always hated that suit." He muttered

"It never worked out though." Batman continued. "Luthor found out what Mercy was doing, and went on a rampage, destroying the blue prints and all the prototypes Lexcorp had made. After that, the military dropped the project, and it was never completed."

"But what has that have to do with our man?" S.T.R.I.K.E asked.

"Everything." Bruce answered. "Carter Base, as I said earlier, was one of the workers on this project while it was still in Waynetech hands. He helped design and create it. But after we lost the contract, it was never finished. The blueprints should have gone into storage, labeled and contained. But I have absolutely no record of them ever being put into storage."

He paused for a moment. "Nor any record of them being destroyed." He added quietly.

His words hung in the air like a death sentence.

"Waitaminute, waitaminute." Flash said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You think…this Base guy…"

"He must have got his hands on the blueprints, and prevented them from being stored after we lost the contract." Batman confirmed.

"Which means," Superman said, horror ringing clearly in his voice, "We're dealing with a technological genius that has access to plans for a military weapons suit."

"That's not the worst of it." Batman said gravelly. "The suit already had plans to add weapons to it. Machine guns and the like, for military purposes. All Base has to do is make a weapon and plug it into the suit."

"The prototype gun Deathstroke mentioned…" Diana said in realization.

Batman nodded. "He has it connected to the suit. Plus whatever other kind of weapon he's got his hands on or has invented and created himself. Maybe even other kinds of electronics as well. That's why all the rubble at Titan Tower had different patterns of destruction. They were all created by different types of weapons."

"Which made them even harder to track." J'onn added.

"We're dealing with a technological menace!" Captain Marvel gulped.

"And one who has a particular hatred for the Justice League." Green Arrow stated. "And has heroes close to us in his custody. _And _one whose location is unknown. Plus we don't know what kind of weapons he has at his disposal."

"Ah crap…" Flash moaned. "This isn't good."

"What do you suggest we do?" Aquaman asked Batman, a sense of urgency overwhelming him.

"We find him." Batman growled. His eyes were slits with hatred, and there was absolute venom in his voice. The villain who kidnapped his partners was in for it.

"So lets go out and find him!" Flash exclaimed, rocketing to his feet.

"No need." J'onn said suddenly.

All eyes turned to him.

"What?" GL asked.

"There is no need to find him." J'onn repeated, his eyes glowing with his telepathy powers.

"Because he has come to us."


	6. The Techno Terror

**(A/N: Sixth chapter is here! Sooo sorry for not updating in like forever, but my life is hectic right now. Between Volleyball and Band…I don't have much free time. I've literally been writing this during my study halls at school. No joke. Special thanks to my darling reviewers! 18 reviews yay! Makes me happy! I'm glad you guys have stuck with me even though my updates have not been frequent. Love you! Enjoy the chap!)**

An angry scowl dominating the lower half of his face, Batman was out of his chair and sprinting towards the monitor before any of the other heroes could react. Gloved hands curling into fists, the Caped Crusader glared at the bright screen in front of him, portraying the image of a blond man wearing a cruel smile on his face.

"Base," Batman growled as the rest of the League hurriedly caught up to him, staring at the screen with different expressions of hatred at the man who had kidnapped their loved ones.

"Batman," Carter Base said nonchalantly, smile widening at the Dark Knight's obvious disgust. His disheveled blond hair came down to his shoulders and obviously hadn't been washed in a while, but there was no doubt that he was the man who had kidnapped Robin. His voice matched perfectly. "Pleasure to see you again. Hope you've been well?"

"_Don't _play pleasant with me," Batman snapped, shaking to the point he looked like he was going to punch the screen in from his fury. "Where's Robin? WHERE ARE MY PARTNERS?"

"Oh, there fine," Base said, yawning as if Bruce's explosive rage was boring to him. "At least…they're alive. For now."

Batman let out an enraged cry, slamming his fist on the table and causing Clark's coffee mug to shatter and spill. Bruce didn't even glance at it. "I'm not playing games here, Base," he scowled at the screen, nose dangerously close to touching the image of the villain. "Tell me where they are _now, _or you're going to _pay_."

"Oh, I'm shaking in my boots," Carter said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "How can you make me pay if you have absolutely no idea where I am? Don't lie, if you knew where I was you'd be here by now."

Batman's eyes narrowed to slits, looking like he was just barely restraining himself from killing someone. Tentatively, Superman placed his hand on Bruce's shoulder. The detective flinched but Clark didn't pull away.

"Calm down," he whispered to his friend. "Clobbering the monitor screen isn't going to change anything. Let me try handling this."

Batman hesitated, glaring at Base as if he wanted nothing more than to punch his lights out. But he nodded nonetheless, backing off into the shadows and shooting daggers at the screen, only his white eyes visible.

Superman stepped forward, his face stony as he stared at Base.

"Where are they?" he asked flatly. His words were cool and demanded an answer.

"That is the question, isn't it?" Base replied, still holding an impassive façade, but just barely. His dark blue eyes betrayed him—he was worried. Carter might know how to get on Batman's nerves, but he didn't know how to strike one with the Man of Steel. Plus, Superman's super powered reputation probably promoted uneasiness even more than Bruce's frightening image. Clark smiled inwardly. Sometimes, being an alien from Krypton payed off.

"I'm only going to ask nicely one more time," Clark said, his voice controlled but with a dangerous edge. "Tell me where they are _now_, and I'll restrain from hitting you too much."

"Yes, because that is so reassuring," Base said sarcastically. "I'm just going to tell you my location, maybe the only thing I have right now that is giving me the upper hand, so you can hit me around like a punching bag. I think I'll pass."

Superman's eyes narrowed dangerously, glowing with a sudden light orange heat at his words. "Suit yourself," he said softly, his heat vision reflecting menacingly off the screen. A flash of worry flashed across Carter's face, but he quickly recovered.

"Make all the threats you want, Superman," he said, covering up his quick show of weakness with an evil, knowing smirk. "You might be more powerful than I am, but you can do nothing to me. Not when I have the fate of _them _in my hands."

The camera panned to something that had been out of sight behind villain before. The Leaguers stared in horror at the image it portrayed.

It was a large wall, expertly crafted from endless wires and electrical patterns, glowing with different energies. Strapped to the technological wall were fourteen figures, all with wires running up and down their forms, plugging them into the giant computer and holding their unconscious forms fast.

The missing heroes.

In an instant, Batman was back in front of the screen, shaking with rage as his eyes fell upon his three kidnapped partners. Nightwing, Batgirl and Robin were all strapped side-by-side on the electric wall, wristed and ankles cuffed to the metal with glowing blue wire running down their arms, legs and torsos. All three were out cold, something one could not achieve easily with a Bat.

"What have you done to them?" he demanded.

"Nothing much," Base said, an evil smirk returning to his face. "Just knocked them out cold and strapped them up to a device- of my own invention I might add- in which I can kill them with a press of a button. No biggie."

"WHERE ARE THEY?" Batman roared, slamming both fists on the table and causing everyone to back up a step. Flash was surprised Base didn't pee his pants.

"Once again with the impatience, Batman," Base said, rolling his eyes. "As I told your red and blue friend. You can threaten me all you want, but I'm not going to give up my location. I'm not going to leave you little riddles for clues, I'm not going to make it obvious so you come and I try to kill you. That's not my objective. I would love nothing more than to kill every single one of you, but if I can't do that, I can at least have my revenge." He smiled, eyes gleaming with mad enjoyment at his plan.

"The way I see it, you have two choices," Carter explained. "Two choices; and absolutely no loopholes. I made sure of that. You fail to find me, and your partners, siblings, cousins, loved ones and whatnot I have here die. You succeed in finding me, I let your kidnapped ones go, but you take their place, and I kill you instead. Either way I get my revenge. I don't personally care about the outcome. That is up to you."

"Yeah?" Flash said, coming up alongside Batman in a sudden whirl of red, pointing at the screen accusingly. "And what makes you think we'd let you do that?"

"You'd really think I wouldn't have a failsafe Flash?" Base asked. "If you refuse to trade places with your younger counterparts, I will kill them. Even if you manage to get them away from me, I will kill them. You see, all fourteen of them have a bomb running in their bloodstream as we speak. It is harmless for now, but I can change that in a second. I have a total of twenty-two different ways to activate the bombs, and touching them is one of them. Even if you manage to get them all out safely, and even if you somehow manage to stop me physically from detonating them, if you try and remove the bomb, you'll blow them to smithereens."

Wally gaped at the villain in horror, witty comeback completely forgotten. "Why?" he chocked out finally. "Why do you want to do this to us?"

Base's face darkened at his words, eyes flashing. "Why?" he echoed. "WHY? You dare ask me why?"

"Yes Carter," Batman said, picking up on Flash's question. "Why do you want to do this?"

"Because the Justice League took my daughter away from me!" Base roared, face contorted with a mixture of rage and pain. "Don't deny it! The State didn't know about my financial problems on their own. You," he said, pointing an accusatory finger at Batman. "_you _knew about my problems. You and the big, powerful Justice League, promoting the orphanages and caring for children whose parents can't support them. I bet it was you all along who reported me to Bruce Wayne and had me fired."

"You're doing all this just because you _think _I was connected in getting you fired?" Batman asked angrily. "You did all this based off an _assumption_?"

"Oh no," Base snarled. "I have no proof that you had anything to do with my job, but I have every reason hate the Justice League. It was many years ago, just a little bit before I got my job at Waynetech…"

He trailed off for a moment, a faraway look on his face, as if he was remembering something. Flash rolled his eyes. "And here it comes," he muttered. "The sad sob story. What is it with crazy all-powerful villains and tragic back stories?"

Wonder Woman elbowed him roughly. "Shut up Flash," she murmured out of the side of her mouth, looking at the screen worriedly. "Do you _want _him to kill Bart?" Wally's eyes widened, and he quickly shut up. Luckily, Base hadn't heard the comment.

"We were low on money," the villian said slowly. "Really low. I still had no job, and I needed to do something or I wouldn't be able to take care of my Chartreuse. So I found an old ski mask…and broke into the local bank."

Base looked away at something off-screen, purposely not looking at any of the members of the League. "It wasn't really that hard," he said. "I've always been good with technology. It was only a matter of disabling the silent alarm and breaking into the vault undetected. It would be a breeze. I would take only the money I needed and be out of there, and never have any financial issues again."

He looked back at the League suddenly, face hard and eyes blazing with sudden hatred. "But I picked the wrong night I guess," he spat. "The bank I chose to rob was being robbed that same night by the Joker. And who happened to be right on his tail? Oh, of course. The Justice League."

He focused his loathing gaze on each member of the group, all icy calm he had held before gone. "All I saw was the Joker come in, armed with his goons, and then all of _you _swooping in before I was knocked from my feet and in cuffs, an assumed part of the Joker's robbery."

"It was because of _you _that I was arrested," he hissed. "It was because of _you _I didn't get the money I needed and the State took my daughter. It might have even been because of _you _I lost the only job opportunity that I had ever gotten! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT! You ruined _my _life…" he paused for dramatic effect, lips curling into an evil smile.

"So I'm going to ruin yours."

Before any of the League could react, Base lifted his arm, revealing a complex arm band, riddled with wires and switches, and flicked a red switch. Immediately, the wall with the young heroes strapped to it came to life, crackling with electric energy as screams filled the air, the before lifeless bodies of the kids coming to life, withering and screaming in pain. Only three were unaffected by the voltage. But they two began to scream as Base flipped another switch, causing Kryptonite-green light to blaze onto Supergirl and Superboy, and a ring of fire to explode around poor Miss Martian.

"You have one hour to find me," Base growled. "Or you'll see your loved ones die."

"You don't have to do this Carter," Superman said, trying one last time to get some reason through the mans head.

"_Don't _call me that," the man snarled at him. "That is not my name anymore."

"What is it then?" Flash asked sarcastically. "Goldfish Man?"

Base glared at him. "No," he hissed. Slowly, the camera panned back, causing the whole League to gasp. Carter was wearing the biggest super-suit any of them had ever seen, twice as stocked with weapons than Lex Luthor's if not more. It was alight with blinking colors and flashes, complex wires and panels running across every inch of it. Dramatically, Base smirked as he lifted a metal mask in the shape of a T, placing it ceremoniously on his face, completing the look and finishing the terrible image.

"I am the Techno Terror," Base declared, lifting his arms and showing off the two huge bazookas strapped to each. He smirked, aiming them both at the screen.

"You have one hour," he repeated. "Don't keep me waiting." And with that, he let both bazookas loose, blowing up the camera and a flurry of smoke and fire before the screen went black.


End file.
